Montreal Canadiens: 24 Thoughts On Habs Shootout Win Over Jets

Third Period Thoughts

Montreal starts the final period, with the majority of their penalty kill remaining, which could really sway the momentum in favour of one team. The outcome of the Jets powerplay won’t determine the final score, but it will definitely be a confidence boost. Mike Matheson came out for the third but returned to the locker room.

Winnipeg pressed for their fourth goal of the game, but Harvey-Pinard’s shorthanded breakaway seemed to spark the Habs. Guhle continued his strong play, making a nice play in his own end, to move the puck up the ice. He then made a great pass to Armia, who sniped a wrister past Brossoit, assisted by Guhle.

Tanner Pearson got his name in on the PA announcer’s call of the penalty. He was a surprising combatant, but he went at it with Jets defenseman Brendan Dillon. Pearson didn’t really do well, but it fired up the Habs faithful.

There could be a strong argument that Guhle was the best defenseman, and played one of his best games that I have seen. He looked fast and very physical, which is expected from Guhle, but he looked a step faster like he taped rockets to his skates. The Alberta native was missed, but seeing him play really puts into perspective how important he is to the team.

Jonathan Kovacevic and Jordan Harris continued their strong play, while Newhook struggled in the faceoff dot. It was noticeably an issue, and I think serves as the answer to where he will play for the Canadiens, with Dvorak back soon, Newhook should move to the wing. Young centers often struggle in the faceoff circle, so it’s not an unexpected scenario.

Although Armia had a strong outing and looked to have a fire under his behind after his demotion to Laval, I would prefer Jesse Ylonen to eat up those minutes. Armia’s size was noticeable on the fourth line alongside Evans and Michael Pezzetta. But Ylonen’s speed and smart puck plays were missed in the bottom six.

Arber Xhekaj didn’t score any goals or punch anybody in the head, but he was physical the whole night, oftentimes battling Lowry who is a load at 6’5″ and 209 lbs. He also skated well, and he and his defence partner Barron played strong games. The pair are big, quick and have a bit of offensive punch, the future of the Canadiens blueline looks very promising.

The five-minute mark of the third came and went, and Caufield was yet to bring the crowd to their feet, it was approaching his sweet spot. Arber Xhekaj got called for a slash on Nikolaj Ehlers with 1:42 left in the third period, and the Jets loaded up to tie the game, but the Habs held them off to earn one point.

Overtime

Montreal started off the overtime period with 20 seconds remaining in the penalty to Xhekaj, and the Habs managed to kill it off. The Jets stabilized Suzuki and Caufield during their first shift, and the duo looked upset. A minute remained in the period, and both sides were pushing hard, Caufield had a nice one-timer chance, but Brossoit robbed him.

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